Matea Benedetti: Pioneer of Sustainable Luxury Shanaya Khubchandani + Kiera Smith

Writing by Matea Benedetti Photography by Kiera Smith

Matea Benedetti is a pioneer of slow, sustainable luxury. During her glittering career as a costume designer for Slovenian Opera Houses and Theatres she started experimenting with her first ecological fashion brand, which has been praised by the likes of Vogue Italia. Matea was incredibly determined to establish a global luxury brand that engaged with the environment and celebrated the highest levels of creativity and craftsmanship. Since 2017, she has put her costume designer career on hold to focus on the development of her sustainable luxury fashion brand: Benedetti Life. Matea is also a motivational speaker, expostulating the polluting patterns of the fashion industry. Matea’s dream is for a healthier, more socially responsible and more environmentally friendly fashion world. Her goal is to be a part of the bigger picture; one that places humanity on a higher level of consciousness with respect to nature and all forms of creation.

Benedetti Life is a brand exalting sustainable luxury fashion andis dedicated to preserving the quality of life on our planet. Established in 2019, it is a holistic, innovative, vegan brand using organic, nontoxic, biodegradable, unique textiles. The brand is committed to environmental protection and the preservation of life in all of its forms: of humans, animals and of flora and fauna. Her garments are produced in Slovenia and Italy, with a significant emphasis for all of the processes of the production and workers’ conditions. The four pillars of her philosophy are luxury aesthetics, environmental awareness, responsible consumerism and ethical business practice.

Each Benedetti Life collection is inspired by an animal species in danger of extinction because of dastardly human impact. The Parrot collection sheds light on the extinction of the beautiful and clever creatures of the Amazon. The Octopus collection is dedicated to the intelligent animal with blue blood, three hearts and nine brains. The garments are made with sustainable wood silk, pineapple leather, vegetable buttons and organic textiles. It is one of the rarest biodegradable and non-toxic collections in the world.

In Benedetti Life there are no seasons and years. The collections are timeless to reduce consumption and become a Slow Fashion movement.

Kiera Smith is an Los Angeles-born and based photographer who specializes in portraits and editorial photography. She enjoys graphic design on the side. Kiera studies Arts, Technology, and the Business of Innovation at the University of Southern California.

Models Shanaya Khubchandani